'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows' Review: Not for the Faint of Heart

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 is still a week away -- well, 6 days and 14 hours away, but who's counting? -- but after the UK premiere yesterday, early reviews are trickling in.

After the decision from Warner Bros. to split the last book into two movies, fans have been anxiously waiting to see how the series would end. Of course, those of us who read the books already know, but we still need to pick apart every detail to make sure they do the last book justice.

So how does the penultimate film measure up? Let's see what the reviews for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 are saying.

Without doubt, this is the scariest Potter film so far. There are moments when even adult film-goers will be watching through their fingers [...] Yates suffuses his film with a sense of dread that never dissipates.

[I]t's hard to mourn the demise of a franchise that was never more than half-alive to begin with. Does it move; does it breathe? Were it not for the fact that the world has watched Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint grow up on screen, we might as well have spent the past decade locked up inside a waxwork museum.

Aside from Brooks, who apparently is all too happy to see the series end, most of the critics enjoyed the movie. Many praise the maturity and talent of the lead actors, the action-packed adventure of it all, and Ralph Fiennes as Voldemort, while admitting that perhaps it was a bit long.

You have to laugh at hearing that some critics think too much time was spent focusing on the trio's camping trip. We hear ya, critics, that's what we readers thought about the book. I'm surprised it wasn't the first thing cut -- maybe the last two films really will be the truest to the book.

Most of this doesn't matter to loyal fans who have already purchased tickets to midnight screenings, but it's good to know we won't be disappointed.

Are you sad to see the Harry Potter films coming to an end? Will you be watching Deathly Hallows Part 1 next week?